After spending the night in caves to avoid the chilly 1.3C temperatures, a young woman who went missing while hiking in the bush was found 24 hours later with only minor injuries.
On Thursday at noon, Michaela, 22, set out on her own on a hike in the Grampians National Park of Victoria’s Mount Rosea region near Halls Gap. Around eight hours later, she sent her mother a panicked message informing her that she was lost.
Her phone died shortly after, leaving her alone in the bush by herself for the night.
When her anxious mother called 911 at around 10 o’clock, a massive search effort was begun and persisted until roughly 3.30 a.m. on Friday.
Five hours after SES and police helicopters resumed their search, the 22-year-old was located after stumbling out onto a road at 5 p.m. on Friday.
After treating the woman, paramedics discovered that she had only sustained a few cuts throughout her 24-hour ordeal.
Her mother praised the rescuers for their efforts and expressed gratitude on behalf of the family for having her daughter back.
‘It’s been a wonderful outcome and she’s well and we’re just going to go home and give her a big hug,’ she told Seven News.
According to a local SES unit, 80 people need to be rescued from the Grampians on average every year.